Author: Randi Alexandra Plake

This column begins with the sad news that Wink Adams died on March 19, 2016. He spent the last eight months of his life in the skilled nursing unit of The Glen at Willow Valley in Lancaster, Pa., where he received kind, loving, and compassionate care. His last job before retirement was to train salespeople to sell investment products for MetLife. Wink loved the beach and water at Cape Cod. He also derived great pleasure from his collection of classic cars. He is survived by his wife, Carroll, son Richard ’85, and daughter Tracy. On behalf of the class of 1960, I express our condolences to his family and friends.

Another sadness for our class is the death of Herm Golnik on Oct. 12, 2015, after a short illness. While teaching and coaching at Monson Academy in Monson, Mass., and later Middletown High School, he received his master’s in education from the University of Hartford. He attended Vanderbilt Law School and received his JD in 1967. Throughout his career he worked for a series of financial institutions in New York City, Detroit, and Orlando that included American Express, National Bank of Detroit, and Sun Banks of Florida. He also worked for Chrysler at their Eight Mile Plant as a tool and die maker and taught in the Detroit Public School System. After retiring, he moved back to Middletown, where he occasionally was a substitute teacher. He enjoyed politics and baseball and loved the New York Yankees. Herm was predeceased by his son Alexander. He is survived by his sons Karl, David, Jonathan, Benjamin, daughter Katie, and their respective spouses. He leaves nine grandchildren. On behalf of the class of 1960, I express our condolences to his family and friends.

Roland Bassett wrote: “Adrienne and I are truly blessed. We travel a good bit, just back from a tour of India, and Adrienne is headed back to Europe with a grandchild in June. I am (almost completely, but not quite) retired from my law practice. We still live in Galveston, along with our three boys, our daughters-in-law, and all of our grandchildren (except for those who have headed off to college), but we also spend a good bit of time watching pine trees grow on our small tree farm in East Texas.”

Bill Murphy wrote the following: “I’m happy to add a few lines to the notes since recovering from a second hip replacement is restricting my other activities. I’d rather be in school, but the doctor has grounded me temporarily. I continue to teach at Hanover High School where I started in 1961, but now it is only two courses. I have the satisfaction of teaching some bright juniors in a course called Contemporary American History, which I sometimes call the course of my life, since it begins in 1941 and comes up to today. I also include Wesleyan in the course as I push the students to try to determine what causes change. The big question is why did the Civil Rights Movement come when it did, and the little question is why did EQV and other fraternities at Wesleyan challenge their discriminatory clauses—a question that I tried to pursue at our 55th Reunion. Many good discussions have resulted.”

The history of Wesleyan University (1910–1970) written by Dave Potts has gone into a second printing and has been assessed in the premier journal for reviews of books in American history as “a genuinely enjoyable read” with extended sections that are “page turners.” The reviewer goes on to observe: “The second half of the book is a gripping account of the struggle to realize” President Victor Butterfield’s “distinctive vision of what a liberal arts college should be.”

Gil Seeley wrote: “I have re-invented myself, so to speak, living in Port Townsend, Wash. Will conduct the Rainshadow Chorale in the spring concert and am teaching my world music/poetry class. It’s called ‘a Victorian seaport and arts community’ by the chamber of commerce, but for me it is a place where there are an extraordinary number of retired folks who have done fascinating things with their lives. I highly recommend a visit to Port Townsend, as you will not be disappointed! Cheers.”

Paul Tractenberg wrote the following: “I retired as of Jan. 1, 2016, after 45-and-a-half years of law professing at Rutgers Law School in Newark. My wife, Neimah, and I recently moved to a new condo townhouse. The impetus for the move was to have a place with a first floor master bedroom—just in case—even though walking stairs isn’t an issue for either of us yet. In fact, I still do bicycle rides of 30–50 miles and sometimes more. Retirement from law teaching doesn’t mean the end of projects about which I care deeply. To the contrary, the time I’m not spending on teaching and attending to faculty business is largely being consumed by project work. To accommodate my major project, I’ve created a new nonprofit organization known as the Center on Diversity and Equality in Education (CDEE) and, to my gratification, have received a number of generous grants to support my work. As the new organizational name suggests, my work continues to focus on improving the educational opportunities for children, and especially low-income children of color. The project is centered on the Morris School District, a consolidation of predominantly white, upper-income and suburban Morris Township and predominantly black and Hispanic, lower-income and urban Morristown. This merger, which took place in 1971 by order of the state commissioner of education, produced one of the most diverse school districts in New Jersey despite opponents’ claims that it would trigger massive white flight. In late June, we head out to our house in Hampton Bays and look forward to a summer of sun and sea. We hope that our grandchildren will join us before and after their summer camp (and their parents can come along, too). So, all in all, life is good. We wish our classmates and their partners the same.”

The “noble nine” classmates galloped onto the Wesleyan Campus to renew, reunite, and restore acquaintances from memorable times past. In attendance at the events, including luncheon, seminar, reception, and dinner were Richard Corson, Jack Mitchell, Emil Frankel, Stephen Wainwright, Spike Paranya, Peter Funk, Neal Schachtel, Bob Patricelli, and Jon Magendanz. Special thanks to Peter for his exceptional photographic talent (The reader is referred to: flickr.com/photos/funkphotographs/sets/72157668442387901).

“I was the guest preacher for the Martin Luther King, Jr. service at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine,” writes Bob Carey. Although it is impossible to include all of Bob’s presentation, a few excerpts are inserted here: “What was new in the New World was that slavery was not a system of work alone. Slavery now defined an individual. In fashioning the racial ideology that rationalized the slave trade, the violence and control of enslaved life in America, whites argued that enslaved Africans were fulfilling their destiny; that white and black were utterly distinct. …The push for a more open, more inclusive society is a permanent piece of work. This day, above all of our national holidays, should bring us back to ask—Are we there yet? What is the work that still needs doing? It was the genius of Dr. King not only to see how the Constitution could become a people’s document; to argue that the Declaration of Independence included all who sought to grow and thrive and contribute to their communities; he also called us to remember that the structures of privilege have been well fashioned; that the rich and those who benefit from structures of exploitation and exclusion will be working to protect what they have. …I suggest …..that we use the metaphor of a feast—all are welcome, all can come to the table.” After Wesleyan, Bob finished his M.Div and S.T.M degrees at Union Theological Seminary and his doctorate in American history at Columbia. He is professor of historical studies, SUNY/Empire State College.

Ed McClellan writes from Bloomington, Ind.: “One the great pleasures of my retirement has been to become reacquainted with Glenn Hawkes. Glenn and I share a lifelong interest in K–12 education. I have especially come to appreciate Glenn’s work in Africa, where he has created a school for Rwandan children.

An update was received from Bob Reiser: “Life in Atlanta continues to be volunteering for several nonprofits and doing consulting work for Balentine, an Atlanta based investment advisory firm. Recently, after 40-plus years of writing investment commentary for clients, I took up two writing projects. Last year I finished writing a history of Georgia Shakespeare, a nonprofit theater in Atlanta, that went out of business after 28 years. I questioned why a theater with an excellent reputation for artistic excellence should suddenly fold. There were many contributing factors but by far the most important was the unwillingness of the staff and board to adopt budgets that were attainable. It makes an interesting case study for nonprofits in general and I hope to turn it into a college level case study. My other project was the completion of a first draft for a book, An Investment Guide to the U.S. Markets for the Foreign National. With the increasing wealth of investors outside of the United States it seemed to me that much of that money would flow into the U.S. as countries open up their capital markets. While it is true that there are literally thousands of investment books, I could not find any that specifically targeted the foreign national.

“My wife Margaret and I spend over a third of the year in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Margaret chairs the board of the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden and I have joined the board of the YMCA. We find the contrast between small town living in New England and big city living in the south to offer a wide range of experiences.

The Wesleyan connection never seems far away. We visited with Neal and Tricia Schachtel at their home in St. Petersburg, and we were joined by Joan and Bob Chase ’59, who were passing through. We have gotten to know Bob and Joan through the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club, which fortunately, does not require owning a yacht to be a member.”

The unexpected death of Thomas R. Patton III occurred on April 1, 2015, while traveling with his wife, Pam, in Australia. He was a long-time resident of Chatham, and formerly lived in Sudbury, Mass. Tom, born in Philadelphia, Pa., served as an officer in the U.S. Navy, worked for F.S. Moseley, joined a real estate development company and eventually formed his own real estate management company, The Alden Group, in Burlington, Mass. Tom was a resident and an engaged community member in Sudbury from 1969 to 1993. Tom and his family moved to Chatham in 1993 and opened the Carriage House Inn, which he and Pam sold in 1997. He was a realtor with Kinlin Grover Real Estate until his retirement in 2014.

Foster Morrison concludes this Class’61 column with some words on climate. “Being an environmentalist does not mean accepting a low standard of living. It means knowing that planet Earth can support only so many people: a few with a high standard of living or a lot more with a lower standard of living. It also means leaving a lot of land undeveloped and some underdeveloped to preserve the natural world and also assure environmental stability. For example, if global warming does not destabilize Earth’s life support systems, something else will. It’s just an obvious consequence of the Earth being finite. Strangely enough, or not so strangely if you understand them, economists think the global economy can expand exponentially forever. Anyone who has taken high school math (geometric series) should know better. Factoring in the fact that growth does vary takes a little calculus, which economists must do, but obviously they didn’t understand it.”

Respectfully submitted,

Jon K. Magendanz, DDS | jon@magendanz.com

902 39th Avenue West, Bradenton, FL 34205

Bob Gelardi reports that he is chairing the charity relations committee of the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation and is pleased that they just raised a record $2.65 million that will be donated to 14 local children’s charities. He says it has been the number four and number six wine auction in the country in the past two years. He writes, “It truly is greater to give than to receive, as we add smiles to the faces of thousands of kids in need.”

Eric Greenleaf and Lori have been living in Larkspur, Calif., in the redwoods for almost 30 years now. He says he is “still doing psychotherapy and training therapists, which lets me travel some.” Lori is producing shows for the local TV station. His son, Tatian, and daughter-in-law are both teachers and two grandsons (“9 and 6 and the delights of our lives”) go to his school. “I’d love to hear from classmates,” Eric writes.

Mike Riley and his wife, Sally, have moved from St. Augustine, Fla., where they’ve been since 2004, to the San Francisco area (Brentwood, in the East Bay area) to be nearer their son, Chris, and a brand new granddaughter, and to their daughter Roxane Williams ’95, who’s in Palo Alto with their other two grandchildren.

Milt Schroeder writes: “Retirement is still treating me well.” He says that he and Mary “are enjoying some traveling,” and he recounts a recent eight-day trip to Rome, with highlights being an excursion to Ostia Antica, an ancient port city not far from Rome, established around the 4th century BC, and attending a Mozart Requiem concert “performed in a historic church by a superb local group and orchestra.” Back in the USA, he says, “Now we are bracing for another hot Arizona summer but hope to escape some of the time to cooler climes.”

After dealing with medical challenges for nearly six months, Phil Putnam is recovering at home. He would enjoy hearing from his many friends and classmates: pgputnam@me.com, or feel free to send a note: 34 River Road Drive, Essex, CT 06426.

DAVID FISKE | davidfiske17@gmail.com

17 W. Buckingham Dr. Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971

David Youngblood of Lexington, Ky., retired last June after 48 years teaching English. David got his MAT at Harvard and then taught at Newton South High School for 20 years, enjoying the New England area. But all that changed in ’87, while grading AP tests in Princeton, N.J., when he noticed another grader, one Ellen Rosenman, then teaching at Dickinson College. After 5 p.m. they adjourned to the Bamboo Lounge. When she took a job at the University of Kentucky, he traveled there to “check the relationship out.” Marriage ensued. He moved to Lexington, got a job at the Thayer School and taught there for 28 years. They have two daughters, one in D.C., the other studying design in Richmond but studying in Copenhagen this summer. They hope to visit her this summer. In retirement David plays a lot of tennis, reads, and watches TV. Ellen loves horses, rides and takes lots of lessons. David said, “The core of my life was teaching high school and I’d still be teaching today but I hated grading papers!”

After graduation Robert Rideout joined the USAF, serving most of his tour as an air police officer at Ellsworth AFB, S.D. Thereafter he joined the CIA, focusing on economic analysis. He earned an MPA at Woodrow Wilson School, then spent 28 years in four different branches of the Bureau of the Budget and OMB as a budget examiner and later a branch chief. “To summarize my career: In 28 years there, we only balanced the budget 28 days!” He continued: “In ’97 I retired so I could spend more time working with the senior high youth group at our church, visiting youth group members who were hospitalized. Thus I discovered the lay chaplaincy visitor program and continued to serve in pediatrics until we moved to Columbus, Ohio, in ’04. There I took 1,600 hours of clinical pastoral education at Children’s Hospital, was ordained a vocational deacon in the Episcopal Church, and served a couple of nights a month as a chaplain.” He and his wife, Marti, are less that 10 minutes from their daughter and her three sons. They also have a son, married with three children, a lieutenant colonel in the USMC. He’s just finishing Naval War College and they often travel to visit his family when he’s not stationed in a war zone. Robert met his wife in ’69. She is now easing herself out of a 25-year career as a parish musician at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Columbus. Robert is proud of her: she’s quite well know for the extent and quality of her church music work throughout the Episcopal Church. For relaxation Robert likes to garden: “plant stuff and see if it grows”.

Larry Shultes, who lives in Doylesown, Pa., retired 20 years ago after 35 years as an actuary with Prudential. He volunteers with Meals On Wheels, but his primary focus is the group his wife, Anne, was working with, which was making recordings for people who are either blind or dyslexic. They record books for schools and he does post recording work. Larry and Anne went to the same high school. Her freshman year of college, she went to Stanford—but cross-country air fares vs. weekend car trips back and forth from Mt. Holyoke? So she transferred there and they saw a lot of each other, both graduating in ’63. They have three grown sons, 49, 51 and 53, and nine grandchildren. Besides volunteer work, Larry plays bridge and golf, which he started at age 10, playing with his parents. His former five-handicap is aging, too.

David Brill, of Chambersburg, Pa., retired four-and-a-half years ago from his practice in radiology and nuclear medicine: “I’m not a doctor anymore.” Throughout all his studies he was totally focused on learning medicine and the “new technical language of 40,000 words that came with it. And I’m finally getting my parents’ money’s worth out of the liberal arts education I missed!” He’s reading classics like The Iliad, The Odyssey and Ovid’s Metamorphoses. “Now I can take online courses in art or calculus. And to understand classical art, which has so many mythological figures, I felt I had to study Greek and Roman mythology.” David is also a Rotarian and goes to the gym a lot. For the first 28 years of his medical practice David worked at the Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa. The next 12 years he worked with a private radiology group. As he was in nuclear medicine, he became very interested in the safe storage, recycling or re-use of nuclear material. It’s a second marriage for both he and Anne; their children are two dogs and a cat. They don’t travel much, as reliable dog sitters are sometimes not so reliable.

From Greenwich, Conn., Ron Wilson and his wife, Eddie, have two children, a daughter, 48, and a son, 45. Their daughter recently got remarried, bringing three new grandchildren into their lives. Now they have eight grandchildren, ages 27 through twins, age 10. They are do-it-yourself caretakers of their venerable, 113-year-old home. In fact, when we were scheduled to talk, I called but Ron was rushing to take Eddie to the hospital, because she’d just cut herself as they were doing some repair work. Happily, it turned out to be minor and within the coverage of her last tetanus shot. He says that they’ve done so much home maintenance that they could probably hire themselves out for odd-job work. Ron, a constant gardener there for 43 years, now has to start cutting out some overgrown things. They also enjoy visiting museums and old mansions. When young, he and Eddie were neighbors in Brooklyn and their mothers had been good friends. High school sweethearts, they took some time apart but reconnected in college (though she was at the University of Miami. [Ed. note: For a great story of their courtship and marriage, go to classnotes.blogs.wesleyan.edu/.] In ’03, Ron retired from his ophthalmology practice. Eddie also retired the same year, as she had been his office manager in their in-home office.

Sad news: Last May, Wesleyan received an e-mail from Philip J. Miller ’67 that Bruce Miller died Dec. 6, 2014. After graduation Bruce spent the summer in Kenya with Operation Crossroads assisting with health and medical projects. He got his MD in ’67 and specialized in ophthalmology. He then served four years in the USN at Charleston Naval Base, achieving the rank lieutenant commander. Thereafter he spent his entire medical career at the Corpus Christie Clinic in Champaign-Urbana, where he served as president of the medical board at the Christie Clinic and was professor emeritus at the University of Illinois Medical School. Afflicted with cancer for 10 years, he gradually retired to Banner Elk, N.C., where he and his wife, Marinette, became residents. They also spent half their time in Baillé, France, and Bruce became very proficient in French, Marinnete’s native language. They had many mini-reunions with Dave Allen and his wife, Kathy, at the Allen’s home in Pinehurst. Bruce was greatly respected and loved, and is deeply missed.

BYRON S. MILLER | tigr10@optonline.net

5 Clapboard Hill Rd., Westport, CT 06880

I’m back in my recliner, once again, taking on my assignment of sharing updates about our class. In this age of social media, I’m not sure where my conversation fits into the mosaic of our common memories. I am present to the phrase about Wesleyan that we all share, “shrine of long ago.” I just hesitated for a moment in recalling whether it was “long ago” or “long, long ago.” I can still see “the altar fires our fathers lit”—as long as I have my glasses on (cataracts aren’t an issue yet).

I love my iPad, which I have trained to store tidbits about our class members and, by the efficiency of copy-and-paste, my labor is minimal. A retired physician with whom I play golf every week commented to me that I was a minimalist as I guided our cart through thick and thin. No wonder—he had so many academic credentials justifying his comment about your class secretary. My dad, who is 95 years young, recently was seen by a dermatology physician assistant, who happened to have shadowed me one month during his training, and who asked if he was related to me. Upon learning he was my father, he shared how amazed he was assisting me on a C-section and seeing how quickly I handled the case, while carrying on conversations about news, weather, and sports.

Back to my task. Stephen Baker, M.D., writes: “I have just retired after 25 years as chair of radiology and associate dean at New Jersey Medical School. Way back when, I was able to study geography at Columbia, courtesy of the GI Bill, and then I taught there for many years for fun. Now after combining my two interests interior spaces and distant places, I have become liberated to learn more about the world as a discipline and a destination.”

Daniel Davis, M.D., texted: “I am finally retiring after 19-plus years in the Division of Bone, Reproductive and Urologic Products (DBRUP) at the FDA in Silver Spring, Md. After 21 years practicing OB-GYN in western Massachusetts (1975–96), the transition to the FDA was perfect, with no night call and a flexible work schedule. Highlights have been working with drugs for contraception, emergency contraception, medical abortion, GYN disorders, and female sexual dysfunction. I’m looking forward to more time with family, tennis and golf, church work (my spouse, Suzanne, is an ordained UCC pastor), and volunteer activities.”

Bob Rutherford is still “doing some volunteer orthopedics—teaching family medicine residents and working at two clinics for underserved patients. I’m taking photography classes, traveling, riding my bike, playing pickle ball and still snowboarding. Worse yet at my age, my wife of 45 years, Diane, and I are building a house. Diane decided she didn’t like the condo to which we downsized in Coeur d’Alene, and we couldn’t find one to buy that was ‘just right.’ So…happy wife, happy life. There aren’t many Wesleyan alumni out here in north Idaho, but we have enjoyed getting together with Lang Dayton and John Jones over the years.”

From Roger Montgomery: “After working many years in Southeast Asia (mostly Indonesia) my wife, Barbara, and I have retired in London, UK, where we have lived for the past 25 years. Anyone coming through London is invited to bend the elbow at 7 p.m. any evening: 25 Belsize Crescent, London NW3 5QY. Phone: +44 207 794 1254.

“P.S. My wife, Barbara Bisco Montgomery, has published three novels, all of which take place in Southeast Asia. All available from Amazon or the Book Depository (free postage from the latter).”

Reunion and Commencement Weekend is fast approaching. I hope a memorable time will be had by all. I’m exploring the easiest way to look in on the festivities and listen to the speakers all from my recliner. What a year with the political winds blowing every which way and the Summer Olympics in August. This is a Ryder Cup year, with the matches in the USA this time. But more important, will “the Cubbies” be in the “Fall Classic” and raise a World Series championship banner over Wrigley Field?

I’m not in my recliner as I add some sad news. I’m at the “Y” and just received notification of the passing of Jim Workman on April 25th. He was always someone who cared about others and I know family, friends, and colleagues will truly miss him. After Wesleyan, he received a law degree from Harvard and practiced law in Wisconsin. Since his retirement, he contributed his time to church and community and was a true leader.

I recently lost a close friend and pastor who I believe is in a new place, much like a spaceship speeding through time and space. Someday I will meet up with those who have passed on, and it will be but a short time for them and a longer time for those of us still in this dimension.

TED MANOS, M.D. | ted_manos@yahoo.com

Dear Classmates: Here’s the news that’s fit to print:

Congratulations to John Hall, who has been elected by the alumni body as a university trustee! Mark Edmiston, Stew McConaughy, Bill Blakemore and now John are the members from our class to serve in this prestigious role. Anyone who knows John will agree that he’s a fine choice and will do an outstanding job.

John Vrooman and his lovely wife, Deborah, were great hosts to me and a friend during a recent trip through South Carolina. They live in picturesque Conway, close to Coastal Carolina University, where he and Deborah have made enormous contributions for nearly 50 years. Although both are retired from formal teaching, coaching, and counseling duties, they stay very involved there. Coastal has grown from a small two-year community college in the mid-’50s—operating out of public school classrooms at night—to a highly respected university with nearly 10,000 students on a beautiful 630-acre campus. John and Deborah have been on that journey much of the way. Also, the handsome new baseball field is named Vrooman Field and John has been inducted into the university’s athletics hall of fame. This is in recognition of his achievements as head baseball coach, where he recorded 345 victories, six consecutive Big South championships, and the university’s first NCAA regional appearance in 1991 at Florida State University. John also served as director of athletics and is professor of history, emeritus. Since John retired, the baseball program has continued to achieve impressive results and, as this is being written, CCU has just shocked the baseball world by upsetting North Carolina State, LSU, Florida, TCU. and Arizona to win the NCAA Division I championship in Omaha. Congratulations, John!.

While a number of us are in retirement, Grant Parr is closing in on seven years as physician-in-chief of the Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute at New Jersey’s Atlantic Health. Grant preciously served as chair of cardiovascular services at Morristown Memorial Hospital, now a part of the Atlantic system. The Institute performs more heart surgeries than any other hospital in New Jersey.

New class co-conveners Hugh Wilson and Mark Edmiston hosted several profitable meetings over Reunion & Commencement weekend in May. Classmates present included Hugh, Mark, John Hall, Dave Dinwoodey, Kirt Mead, Tom Elliman, Win Chamberlin, and yours truly.

Hugh reports: “Our meeting began with a presentation by Kennedy Odede ’12 on the Shining Hope for Communities school for girls (SHOFCO) that he founded in a slum suburb of Nairobi, Kenya, where Kennedy grew up. This was a WESeminar sponsored by our class and was open to the entire community. Kennedy described the success of the school, which is about to graduate its first eighth-grade class, several of whom will then spend a year at Loomis Chaffee or Miss Porter’s School in the U.S. From our discussions, it sounded as though SHOFCO (shofco.org) would welcome a visit by a group of us to the school in the future. They would also welcome introductions to other private boarding schools in North America that might be interested in providing scholarships for these girls.

“We then walked across campus to a room in the new Boger Hall (the old squash courts). John Hall reported that the class has raised approximately $4.1 million and should be able to reach our goal of $5 million. We were also told by Barbara-Jan Wilson that 102 Wesleyan families have donated greater than $1 million each and that 12 of these families are parents, not alumni. This leads all other schools in NESCAC and is a testament to the quality of education that current Wesleyan students feel they are receiving. Furthermore, Wesleyan admissions were the most competitive they have ever been, with just 17 percent of applicants being admitted.

“Our next agenda item was discussion of Wesleyan’s exchange program with the University of Havana. Two members from Wesleyan’s exchange office informed us that between one and three students have spent a semester at the University of Havana during each of the past three years. The program (CASA) is run by Brown University with several other Ivy League members. It was suggested that our class could endow a summer internship for a Wesleyan student for $100,000, a possibility that we felt was worthy of further consideration. We also raised the possibility of bringing Cuban students to Wesleyan, but this seems to be legally more complex at present.

“We also discussed helping to create a database of Wesleyan alumni who would agree to be contacted by undergraduates for counsel on careers in a wide range of fields. Please provide any feedback on the subjects of a trip to East Africa and SHOFCO, support for Wesleyan internships in Cuba, and the database project to Hugh (hrwilson@yorku.ca) or Mark (mme663@mac.com).”

Many thanks, Hugh (and Mark!)

PHILIP L. ROCKWELL | prockwell@wesleyan.edu

May 27, 2016
Aloha, Dear Classmates,
“O ivied walls! O storied halls!
O shrine of long ago! (54 years ago)
The altar fires our fathers lit Shall still more brightly glow.”

And so they did for four short days in May for all of us from the class of ’66. I hope in some small way this column will capture for you, our class, not the specifics but the essence of what was, indeed, for me one of the more, if not the most, emotional, remarkable events that I have experienced in my life. In this effort I have borrowed occasionally from the poetic presentation style of our classmate, Sandy Van Kennen and ask for his forgiveness if it doesn’t adequately sum up the occasion.

At the head of this adventure was our class leadership under “General” Rick Crootof, whose vision and mission for us all was to play out over the four days; and to Dave McNally, his trusted sidekick. Thank you so much, Linda and Michelle, for letting your husbands lead us all in a wonderful adventure. In a statement to us all, those who were able to participate and those who were not, he reported post-Reunion:

“Seventy members of the Class of ’66 returned for a warm and loving 50th Reunion. The weather was glorious, and we had three excellent dinners too. Spirits and anticipation were high following the magnificent class book put together by Al Burman, Frank Burrows, Jack Knapp, John Neff, and Dick Stabnick, and sent to us all beforehand. For many, the highlight was a new feature, initiated last year by ’65, of ‘shorts,’ where about two dozen of us addressed the class about some meaningful aspect of our lives, often involving overcoming adversity. We had three of these sessions and could have gone on longer than the five hours we did devote.

“Saying goodbye on Saturday night (or Sunday morning) was hard at this stage of life, and hopefully, especially since attendees have no registration fees from now on, we can return more often than every five years.”

And so the adventure began…

Thursday, May 19th: Checking in at the Usdan University Center in the afternoon—Organized chaos; good spirits; food lines; laughter; joyous students anticipating graduating; older folks with wives, husbands, girlfriends, boyfriends, pet dogs; registering; housing assignments; Wes students handling all.

Then it was off to our first event—our Class Seminar—in which we heard the tale of ‘Paradise Lost’ in relation to the university’s endowment back in the last years of the last century. Great discussion by Jim Dresser ’63, Professor Karl Scheibe, and Wesleyan’s CIO Anne Martin. Despite the multitude of dollar reductions back then, my thoughts were on the positive side, for what are endowments for? And what did those dollars bring? Double class enrollment; women on campus; enhanced faculty; and great art, student, physical education, science facilities; good returns on investment. In my thinking, Wesleyan today is what it is because of those expenditures back then.

Then, off to reception and dinner at Patricelli ’92 Theater. And it was here that our Reunion really began. And it did so after a wonderful meal. Rick, working with Dave McNally, put together a series of “shorts” whereby our classmates were asked to share, and did they ever. We need to extend a special thank you to the inspirational Jeff Nilson, Will Rhys, Tom Broker, Jack Knapp, Bill Boynton, and Doug Robins, whose initial presentations and personal reflections set the tone for all of us over the next two days—heartfelt tears; support; laughter; spiritual; friendship; oneness with each other.

Then “bedtime”—off to Clark Hall. Joyce and I were blessed to have had wonderful floormates in our old dorm, which was actually called the “New Dormitory” until 1924, having been built in 1916 and named for John C. Clark, Wesleyan trustee (1910–1946) and former board president (1912–1920). On our floor were Sandy Shilepsky and his wife, Carol; fellow Hawaii classmate Gifford Lum and his wife, Audrey; Larry Carver; Sandy Van Kennen and I know there a few others to whom I apologize, as we passed in the bathroom sight unseen.

Friday, May 20th: The next day began with breakfast at the Highwaymen Common Room, Romance Languages and Literature Department—who knew this was EQV! More good “healthy” food. Dave McNally then got us started again with our sharing “shorts”—and our thanks to Wesleyan student Wesley Layug ’17 for loading flash drives and making it all work. It was a morning filled with great sharings from our classmates—wonder, laughter, tears, family, marriages, divorces, remarriages, redivorces, children, grandchildren, travels, food, art, music, health, and wellness.

Then off for a picnic lunch at Russell House—tents, laughter, buffet lines, students, alumni, kids, pets, sunshine.

The afternoon was spent by all having many different options; touring campus, reception for Sigma Nu and Kappa Nu Kappa members hosted by Gary Miller ’56 and our “General,” sessions in art, writing, social entrepreneurship, Korea, receptions for Alpha Delta Phi members, for former football team members, and the dedication of the new Boger Hall, named in honor of outgoing Board Chair Joshua Boger ’73.

Those of us from Chi Psi adjourned to the old Lodge, with John Driscoll ’62 in tow, for reminiscing and photo ops on the back steps.

Then on to another reception and dinner with President Michael Roth ’78 in Beckham Hall in the old Fayerweather Gym. (Just a note that this hall in named in honor of Edgar Beckham ’58 who was instrumental and an inspiration in the lives of many of us while at Wesleyan.) Great food blessed by our resident kahu (preacher) John Bensinger; warm; maile and orchid lei; exuberant, passionate president; floor walking; fraternities; Wesleyan Spirits; Alma Mater; Wesleyan Fight Song.

While it was bedtime for Clark Hallees, the night was just beginning for those who lodged in Cromwell. Led by Ted Zeller, Dave McNally, and Dave Putnam on guitars, the harmonious voices of Kit Laybourne, Rick Osofsky, Marc Kasky, Bob Dearth, Ken Mandelbaum, Bruce Cost and numerous others recaptured folk music, perhaps not heard since the ’60s, long into the night.

Saturday, May 21st: Up early, it was continental breakfast time at Olin Library’s Develin Room and, again, Dave McNally convened us all for another morning of concluding “shorts.”

More wonderful sharings, which concluded with Sterling Baker doing the wrap for this wonderful program of life shorts—in a record 90 seconds.

Adjourning, it was off to the Memorial Chapel to remember our dearly departed. In a heartfelt service, we fondly brought forth the remembrances of 28 of our classmates. The noted English film director and artist Banksy remarked: “They say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time.” The names of our departed classmates will always continue to be on our lips.

Then, with the carillon from South College sounding, all the Wesleyan classes gathered in front of the Usdan Center for the traditional Parade of Classes. The spirit of the Wes football team of ’65 overtook me and Steve Schaffer (attending with his wife, Sally, formerly from Middletown), and we undertook a photo in the picture booth with this old center (#53) snapping the ball to his quarterback (#14)—needless to say, there were no fumbles!

At 11:30 a.m. sharp, yours truly had the great honor of sounding “Trumpet Voluntaire” on the bagpipes as the signal to line up for the traditional university parade of classes. And, shortly thereafter, with much air in the bag, everyone stepped off to the sound of pipes in the lead, echoing the tunes of the “Wesleyan Fight Song,” “Ode to Joy,” “Blue Bells,” and “Men of Harlech” amongst the brownstone buildings of North College, South College, the chapel, and theater; down in front of the old Lodge and Alpha Delta; then along High Street to the intersection of College Street and then back to and ending at the Memorial Chapel. There, the sounds of the pipes were replaced with those of the Old Wes Brass Ensemble as all those who had made the trek from earliest to latest classes filed into the Memorial Chapel for the Annual Meeting of the Alumni Association.

Calling the Annual Meeting of the Alumni Association to order, Daphne Kwok ’84 led us all in celebrating the recognition and awarding of distinguished Alumni Awards, Outstanding Service Awards, and the James McConaughy Jr. Memorial Awards. We all extend our heartfelt aloha to two of our classmates; Essel Bailey Jr., who received the Distinguished Alumnus Award and Rick Crootof ,who received the Outstanding Service Award for well-deserved recognition—inspirational; moving; intergenerational interfacing.

Then it was picnic time under a huge tent erected on Andrus Field—students, alumni, Frisbees, band playing, sandwiches. And then off to WESeminars, where two of our own, Alberto Ibargüen and Donald Craven participated—Discerning Fact from Fiction; HIV/AIDs.

As the sun set over Foss Hill, it was again time to eat—our 50th Reunion Class Reception and Dinner—held in the Campbell Reference Center at Olin Library, and what a dinner it was! Our class kahu again blessed the food with plates full of sirloin steak, fish, or veggies and coupled with a wonderful dessert…again a food extravaganza! At the end of our meal, it was time to recognize those who had taken such good care of us over the past three days—Wesleyan students who had served as our waiters and servers who were, in every sense, our grandchildren and we, their grandparents. Rick greeted each one with a kukui lei and, giving them a hug, noted our thanks and gratitude to each one. They, in turn, presented to all of us alum kukui nut lei. The kukui nut is a symbol of enlightenment, as its kernel was used as a candle in ancient Hawai`i. Today, it symbolizes knowledge and the ongoing search for enlightenment.

Rick then noted our class mentors; Professors Jeanine Basinger, Erika Franklin-Fowler, Nat and Anne Greene, Rob Rosenthal, Karl Scheibe, and Don Russell. Unfortunately, all could not be with us in person but those who could not were certainly there in spirit.

Next, of particular importance, was recognizing the multitude of our class members who had graduated Phi Beta Kappa. This, indeed, is an impressive group of men who have in their professional lives made significant contributions to our world society, our country, our local communities, and to Wesleyan.

A wonderful recognition was then extended by Rick to all our classmates who have served our country through uniformed service, either in the military or the Public Health Service, including the Indian Health Service. There were 18 in our class attending the Reunion including David Boyle, Bill Dietz, John Ulcickas, and Bill Sargeant, with his inspirational career. It’s noteworthy that a total of 50 of our classmates have served in this regard.

It was then left to Essel Bailey Jr., our Class Gift Chair, to identify our class gift, which is in the form of a scholarship to Wesleyan. This is an ongoing gift and one to which we all need to donate—whether it’s one dollar or a million—participation is what matters. You can help others in 50 years experience what we now have—a oneness of class relationships within the Wesleyan family. So, whether you were able to join us at the Reunion or not, please make an effort to be in the spirit of our class and be a part of this giving.

As the evening drew to a close and after all the kudos had been extended, the glow of many remembrances remained—friendships, hugs; kisses; handshakes; no goodbyes—only “until we meet agains.”

And so we all departed as one—some taking in a last remembrance at the Wesleyan Spirits 35th Anniversary Concert in the Memorial Chapel—energy galore, harmonious voices, wonderful spirit.

Sunday, May 22nd: A final fling—brunch at the Usdan University Center—and what a brunch it was!—oatmeal, fruit, eggs, bacon, ham, pancakes, French toast, a moveable feast!

At this point, let me just insert some individuals not already mentioned but whom it was so good to see and with whom to renew friendships. I apologize to those not mentioned, as I know there were many to whom I did not have an opportunity to say hello: Howie Brodsky and his wife, Joan; Tom Broker and his wife, Louise Tsi Chow; Frank Burrows; Clark Byam and his wife, JaNelle; Ted Lilly; Hank Lufler Jr. and his partner, Michael Gerdes; Dave Putnam and his wife, Shirley; Irv Richter and his wife, Ann Marie; Phil Shaver and his wife, Gail Goodman; Bill Sigafoos and his wife, Lissa; Dick Stabnick and his wife, Cheryl; and Doug Werner and his wife, Pamela. At this point I also need to thank my wife, Joyce, who accompanied me and whose family is from Higganum. We married early in my Wesleyan career and had a memorable reception in the Lodge, so our Reunion brought back many happy memories of times past.

And so it was for those few magical days in May when we, as members of the Class of 1966, once again renewed our friendships. When Victor Butterfield noted that “if our years at Wesleyan were to be the best years in our life, then the university had failed”; what he didn’t say was that “if our years at Wesleyan were to produce sustaining friendships and wonderfully positive personal relationships which were to give us a sense of fulfillment then the university has certainly succeeded.” And so it has.

Purposely, we have saved a final thank you and last note of praise for the wonderful efforts of our University coordinator Pam Vasiliou. It was she who kept all the planning members and committees on track and who made sure the school was on board with everything that it needed to do to make our Reunion and the work of the committee a success. Pam, you have the enduring gratitude of, and eternal thanks from, all of us for all your work and wonderful efforts on our class’s behalf.

Some final kudos:

We need to recognize John Stremlau, who traveled the farthest to attend the Reunion, having made the trip from South Africa; and Dick Stabnick who made the shortest trip, having driven down from Hartford, Conn.;

We need to recognize Bruce Cost and his wife, Kavi Reddy ’01, who welcomed their young daughter, Coco, last year and who immediately had 70 “uncles” and untold number of “aunties” during the Reunion; and, finally, we need to give the “youth” award to Steve Schaffer, Hank Lufler, and Clark Byam, who look like they could immediately suit up for the Wesleyan football and swimming teams and make a difference.

And a final thought from Linda Wheeler in her Ain’t Life an Artichoke?, in which she noted: “Understand that happiness is not based in possessions, power or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.” And so it is for our “General,” for his “trusted sidekick” and for all our classmates of ’66.

“We’ll all be young again together;

Life’s short—then fill with joy its span…”

And for four wonderful days in May we all certainly did. Thoroughly stoked; Go Wes! Mahalo.

Hardy Spoehr | hspoehr7@gmail.com

1833 Vancouver place, Honolulu, Hawai’i, 96822

808/944 8601

Classmates: It turns out that some of you keep running into each other, or arrange to meet with one another, or start what turn into e-mail chains with one another. Nice to know that you don’t have to rely on these Class Notes, which only appear three times a year, and are skewed by who does and does not communicate with me.

Random meeting #1. Tom Drew wrote to tell me that he and his wife were playing tennis in Florida, and only after the second set did they learned that the guy on the other side of the net was a classmate: Bob Kesner. Here’s Tom’s account: “This e-mail was prompted by a fortuitous meeting at the tennis courts a couple of days ago. We had a game with a couple from Vermont, found to be Bob Kesner and his wife, Andrea Torell, after a set or two. What fun. Last night we had dinner with Gar Richlin and Migs, who are in Longboat Key, possibly the biggest Wes ’67 reunion since our 45th.” Tom and Carolyn had sailed their boat from Rhode Island to Sarasota, Fla., and, presumably by the time you read this, have sailed it back to Rhode Island.

Planned meeting #1. Dave Sweet wrote to tell me that he and some Commons Club pals have been gathering almost annually in or near Portland, Maine. Here’s his account: “I had the pleasure of sharing a couple of meals last summer with several classmates/Commons Clubbers through the continuation of an almost-annual summer gathering in northern New England. The idea of assembling those within reasonable distance of Portland, Maine, for an extended lunch originated with Tom Bertocci and Punch Elliott. Last Sept., it yielded two get-togethers. Lunch on the Portland waterfront included Cindy Bertocci, Toby Astley, Tom Elliman ’65 and his wife, Betsy, and my wife, Glen, and me. Several days later, Toby and I met up with Punch and David Patterson in Concord, N.H. It can be reliably reported that all are doing well.” Dave and Glen live in West Chester, Pa., where he is self-employed as a consultant to local governments on matters of zoning, land use planning, and open space protection.

E-mail chain #1. After reading a New York Times story about Amherst College’s struggle with how to deal with the very bad behavior of its namesake (Lord Jeffrey Amherst), and whether or not the school should keep the nickname “Lord Jeffs,” Ted Smith sent an e-mail to a bunch of us (“This may help to explain why I never liked Amherst!”) and asking what we thought. This elicited a range of responses, including one from Peter Kovach (“The question we need to ask is why Wesleyan has fallen so consistently behind Amherst [Williams, Pomona, etc.] in all the ratings in the last decade or more.”), Bob Dyer, Bob Pawlowski, Howie Foster, Ned Preble, Aidan Jones (“Maybe David Foster Wallace would still be alive and writing today if he’d gone to Wes rather than Amherst”), and yours truly ( “I, too, have been following this Amherst story with interest, especially because Amherst has, in fact, become a much more diverse place than it used to be. Under its former President, Tony Marx, Amherst went from one of the least diverse of the elite schools to one of the most. In one of my classes, I use a book by a social psychologist at Amherst called Speaking of Race and Class that is based on a study of Amherst students.”). Oh, yeah, one more (late) participant: Jim McEnteer (“We’ll drink the wine tonight, drink the wine that makes hearts light”).

In addition to these random meetings, arranged gatherings, and e-mail chains, other classmates, when they write to catch me up, mention Wesleyan friends with whom they are in touch. In the past few months this has included Dave Garrison (in touch with Dick Clemmer, Jim Ruhlen), and Ned Preble (in touch with Phil Corkill, Dave Reynolds, Dave Butler, Jim Guard, Jim McEnteer and Ted Smith). I’ll provide more about these guys next time.

Meanwhile, I hope you will keep on running into each other, keep arranging meetings with your old (and getting older) friends, and keep e-mailing them (with copies to many other classmates). And let me know so I can share these things with the rest of the class, and, it turns out, share these things with other readers from other classes—you 1967 guys are not the only ones who read this column. Some from the class of 1966 read it, too. Just today I got a wonderful e-mail from my old (and getting older) friend, Larry Carver ’66, from whom I last heard decades ago, in response to something I wrote in my last column about the poet Richard Wilbur. Larry has been teaching English at the University of Texas since 1973. He is currently the Doyle Professor of Western Civilization, and is the director of the Liberal Arts Honors Programs. (He took two classes from Richard Wilbur, one on Milton and one on modern American poetry; he also participated in the now-legendary faculty-student charades competition).”

Richie Zweigenhaft | rzweigen@guilford.edu